No two schools are identical
The categories below illustrate the wide range of records that may require secure custodianship following closure. Some schools will hold additional records depending on their history, governance and facilities. SDS works with each school to identify, preserve and manage those records responsibly.
Administrative Records
Administrative records include employer's liability certificates, inventories, newsletters, prospectuses, publications, PTA records and general correspondence relating to the operation of the school. These documents provide an important historical and operational record and may be required to support future enquiries, insurance matters or historical research. Retention periods vary depending on the document type.
Admissions
Admissions records include application forms, acceptance correspondence, waiting lists, admission registers and associated documentation. These records provide evidence of a pupil's attendance and educational history and may be required for verification requests, legal enquiries or historical research. Admission registers are often retained permanently, while supporting admissions documentation should be retained in accordance with statutory guidance.
75 Years
Asbestos Registers
Asbestos registers, surveys and management plans document the presence, condition and management of asbestos-containing materials within school buildings. These records may be required many decades after closure to support future building works, insurance claims or health-related enquiries. Many asbestos records are retained for up to 75 years.
Attendance Records
Attendance records include daily registers, attendance summaries, absence notifications and correspondence relating to pupil attendance. These records provide evidence of a pupil's educational history and may be required to support legal enquiries, safeguarding investigations or requests from former pupils. Admission and attendance registers are often retained permanently, while supporting attendance records should be retained in accordance with statutory guidance.
Building Surveys
Building records include title deeds, architectural plans, condition surveys, maintenance records, leases, lettings documentation and contractor information. These records provide evidence of the management and development of school premises and may be required to support future legal, property or insurance enquiries. Certain records may warrant permanent retention.
Building Contracts
Building contracts include specifications, tender documents, warranties, guarantees, contractor agreements and completion certificates relating to construction or refurbishment works. These documents may be required to resolve contractual disputes, demonstrate compliance or support future property transactions and insurance claims.
CCTV Records
CCTV records include recorded footage together with maintenance records, operating procedures and system logs. While routine CCTV footage is normally retained only for short periods, documentation relating to incidents, investigations or legal proceedings may require significantly longer retention. System maintenance and compliance records should also be preserved where appropriate.
Child Curriculum Records
Curriculum records include development plans, timetables, schemes of work, pupils' work, SATs records, examination papers and examination results. These documents provide evidence of educational provision and pupil achievement and may be required for future verification requests, academic appeals or historical reference.
Data Protection / GDPR Records
This category includes privacy notices, consent records, data processing agreements, subject access requests, breach reports, data protection impact assessments and records of processing activities. These documents demonstrate compliance with UK GDPR and Data Protection legislation and may be required during regulatory investigations or legal proceedings. Retention periods vary according to the nature of the record.
Department of Education Records
This category includes correspondence with the Department for Education, HMI inspection reports, Ofsted inspection reports and other regulatory documentation. These records demonstrate compliance with statutory requirements and may be required to support future regulatory, legal or historical enquiries.
Ages 35+
Digital CPOMS Data
Digital safeguarding records exported from CPOMS form part of the school's safeguarding history and must be preserved with the same care as paper records. These files may be required many years later in response to safeguarding investigations, statutory enquiries or legal proceedings and should be retained in accordance with safeguarding guidance.
Examination & Qualification Records
This category includes examination entries, candidate numbers, coursework records, certificates, results, invigilator reports and correspondence with awarding bodies. Former pupils may require these records many years later to verify qualifications for employment, higher education or immigration purposes. Certain examination records should be retained permanently, while supporting documentation is retained in accordance with examination board requirements.
Early Years Funding Records
Early Years records include funding claims, eligibility documentation, attendance records and correspondence relating to nursery and pre-school provision. These records may be required to demonstrate compliance with funding arrangements, respond to audit enquiries or resolve future financial queries. Financial elements are generally retained for a minimum of seven years.
Financial
Financial records include accounts, invoices, receipts, payroll information, grants, contracts, loan documentation and audit reports. HMRC generally requires financial records to be retained for at least seven years, although certain records may need to be kept longer where ongoing legal or contractual obligations exist.
Governor Minutes
Governor records include agendas, minutes, policy documents, committee papers and annual reports. They provide an important record of governance decisions and institutional history and may be required to support future legal, regulatory or historical enquiries. Many governing body records are retained permanently.
Health & Safety
Health and Safety records include accident books, COSHH assessments, risk assessments, accessibility records, fire safety documentation and policy statements. These records may be required for regulatory compliance, insurance claims or legal proceedings many years after the events they document. Certain records should be retained for several decades.
HR & Personnel
Personnel records include employment contracts, payroll records, disciplinary matters, recruitment documentation, appraisals and pension information. These records may be required to verify employment history, resolve pension enquiries or respond to future legal claims. Retention periods vary depending on the record type and applicable employment legislation.
Insurance Documents
Insurance records include policies, schedules, certificates and claims documentation. Historic insurance records are particularly important, as liability claims relating to former pupils, staff or buildings may arise many years after a school has closed. In many cases these records should be retained indefinitely.
Maintenance
Maintenance records include planned maintenance schedules, inspection reports, servicing records, certificates and repair documentation. These records demonstrate the safe management of buildings and equipment and may be required to support insurance claims, regulatory enquiries or future property transactions.
Age 25+
Medical Records
Medical records include pupil medical information, accident reports, healthcare plans, immunisation records and correspondence relating to medical conditions. These records contain sensitive personal information and may be required to support safeguarding, healthcare or legal enquiries many years after a pupil has left the school.
MIS/SOCS Export
Exports from Management Information Systems (MIS) and platforms such as SOCS preserve key pupil, staff and operational data in a format that remains accessible long after legacy software is no longer available. These digital archives ensure that important information can still be retrieved to respond to future verification requests or statutory enquiries.
Parent Consent Forms
Parent consent forms include permissions for educational visits, photography, medical treatment, sporting activities and other school events. These records may be required to demonstrate that appropriate consent was obtained should questions or legal claims arise in the future.
Policies & Procedures
Policies and procedures document how the school was governed and operated, including safeguarding, behaviour, complaints, data protection, health & safety and staff policies. These records provide evidence of the school's statutory responsibilities and decision-making and may be required during legal proceedings, regulatory enquiries or historical research. Significant policy documents are often retained permanently.
Age 25+
Pupil Files
Pupil files typically contain admission records, academic reports, attendance information, correspondence, disciplinary records and other documentation relating to an individual's education. Former pupils frequently request copies of these records for employment, immigration, pension or personal reasons, while legal or safeguarding enquiries may also require access many years after the pupil has left school.
Age 35+
Safeguarding
Safeguarding records include child protection concerns, referrals, case notes, multi-agency correspondence and reports relating to the welfare of pupils. These are among the most sensitive records held by a school and are often retained until the individual reaches at least the age of 35. Access is strictly controlled and records may be required to support future safeguarding investigations or legal proceedings.
School Photographs & Historical Archives
Historical archives include school photographs, yearbooks, magazines, newsletters, event programmes, memorabilia and other records documenting the life of the school. Although many of these records are not statutory documents, they often hold significant historical and cultural value and are frequently requested by former pupils, researchers and local historians. These records are generally retained permanently.
Age 25+
SEN/SEND files
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) records include Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), Individual Education Plans (IEPs), assessments, professional reports and correspondence with parents and external agencies. These records document the support provided to pupils and may be required to respond to future educational, safeguarding or legal enquiries.
Visitor & Access Logs
Visitor records include visitor books, signing-in records, contractor logs and access control information. These documents may be required to support safeguarding investigations, security enquiries or legal proceedings by demonstrating who accessed the site at a particular time. Retention periods vary depending on the record type and purpose.